Clipped
by pokebrony
Summary: This is a story about Rainbow Dash. While trying to beat her personal and world record of flying through Ghastly Gorge, a rock slide occurs and breaks her wing. Unable to fly, she must learn to cope with her new lifestyle by taking after the earth ponies and their ways of living.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ghastly Gorge. The most treacherous, creepy, darkest, deepest, and ugliest place in all of Equestria. Rainbow Dash, however, had a much different perspective. She saw it as: fun, fast, jubilant, and adventurous. She was determined to beat her score of one minute through the gorge.

Though she had flown through many times, something didn't seem right this time. She felt an odd twitch in her left wing. She brushed it off and began to limber up. Her friends were miles away at the finish waiting for her to reach them.

If one was to yell loud enough, the sound waves would bounce off the cliffs to the other side. Although they could use this scientific trick to start off Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie brought a huge megaphone and an hour of vocal prep.

"ARE YOU READY, DASHIE?" yelled Pinkie.

Rainbow Dash heard, but did not know the scientific method to respond.

"I'LL TAKE YOUR DISTURBING SILENCE AS A TERRIBLE WAY OF SAYING YES! YOU REALLY NEED TO WORK ON YOUR PEOPLE SKILLS! I MEAN Y—OWWW! WHY DID YOU HIT ME, TWILIGHT? WHAT? POUNCE DOWN ON DASHIE? OOOOOOH! COUNT DOWN FOR DASHIE! ALRIGHT, GET READY DASHIE!"

Pinkie Pie was always this way. That's why Rainbow Dash loved her.

"3!" Pinkie announces. Rainbow gets in position.

"2!" Rainbow flares up her wings and impatiently awaits the start.

"1!" Rainbow feel like she is going to explode in suspense. She almost begins to feel nauseous.

"GOOOOO!" Rainbow zips as she hears the soft G sound of the word. The sound of the G was soft, but the volume was hard.

Rainbow first goes through the wind tunnel in fifteen seconds; two seconds faster than her previous time. Dashing through, she reaches the quarry eels and narrowly dodges them in seven seconds. Next up, the thicket. Rainbow evades vine after vine, but gets through one second later than her last time: eleven seconds.

"WOO HOO! GO DASHIE! 34 SECONDS! YOU MADE A SONIC RAINBOOM AROUND 50 SECONDS LAST TIME!"

Dashie was in the final stretch at 45 seconds! However, Pinkie yelling caused a rockslide! Rainbow sped up and dodged, but was tired from all the speed earlier. She could see the final turn. She began to bank and increase speed until she felt a sharp pain on her left wing and was forced down. She fell to the ground and broke her front right leg. She saw a myriad of rocks fall around her. They were too small to kill, but big enough to puncture her skin.

"DASHIE! IT'S TEN SECONDS OVER A MINUTE! HURRY UP!" announced Pinkie, disappointed.

Rainbow felt physical and emotional pain. Rocks the size of her head pelted her, and her friends would be disappointed in her because she didn't beat her time. She couldn't move her left wing.

"What the – AGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Rainbow's wing was fully crushed under the rock. Blood was everywhere and it was hanging on by torn flesh, fur, and a broken bone.

"MY WING! IT'S CRUSHED! ROCK SLIDE! HELP!" she was just close enough to the finish that her friends heard her call of distress. However, Rainbow Dash yelled so loud that her throat began to hurt.

"DASHIE! WE'RE COMING! HANG ON!" proclaimed Pinkie.

Rainbow was in so much pain, and she had lost so much blood. She began to whimper a little and tear up. After a while, she couldn't endure the pain and blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rainbow Dash woke up with a headache and a sore throat.

"Doctor! Thank Celestia, she's awake! Come quick!"

Now, Rainbow Dash was confused. Where was she? Who was that?

"Rainbow Dash? Can you hear me?"

"Where… where am I?" muttered Rainbow painfully.

"Why, you're at the hospital in Ponyville! You're lucky to be alive. If it weren't for your friends bringing you here, you would have been gone for sure!"

Rainbow had just started to open her eyes. She saw the doctor and his aide. They both wore pseudo smiles and their eyes looked a little sad.

"Good afternoon! Your vitals are looking good, but we will have to keep you here for about a month. You must understand, you lost a lot of blood. However, you're not to worry; you're as healthy as the rest of us!" said the doctor.

Rainbow heard a little uncertainty in his speech.

"Doc, what about my wings?" whimpered Rainbow

The doctor lost his pseudo smile and only stared at her. Rainbow started to feel a little nauseous and anxious at the doctor's facial expressions. The doctor looked down and sighed.

"Rainbow, I have some very tragic news" muttered the doctor in a monotone voice.

Rainbow knew where he was going with this and she began to cry.

"Your left wing was crushed and there's no way to put it back on. You'll never fly again. I'm sorry.

Rainbow let the tears drop. She didn't care if anypony saw her cry.

"But, I was with the Wonderbolts! IT'S NOT FAIR!" screamed Rainbow. Her throat was so hoarse and sore, she felt flustered after yelling. She began to whimper and cry.

"Also, I removed your other wing in hopes that it wouldn't provoke bad memories."

Rainbow was still sobbing.

"Look on the bright side. You're still alive! Cherish what life you still have left!"

Rainbow looked at him, teary eyed, and said:

"What point is there in living? I can't fly! That's what I loved most about my life!"

The nurse had to leave the room because it was too much to bear. Through her tears, she saw Rainbow's friends.

"We heard screaming, is everything alright?" asked Twilight worriedly.

"No, go on in, Princess." The nurse had to run someplace without pain and suffering.

Twilight and company walked into Rainbow's room to see her crying and flailing.

"Please, talk to her. Maybe she'll listen to you." said the doctor with a tired frown.

"Hey Dashie, how are you?" asked Pinkie.

"HOW DO YOU THINK I AM!" yelled Rainbow now clenching her throat.

Pinkie began to tear up and sob a bit.

"Pinkie, I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just under a lot of stress."

Pinkie Pie forgave Rainbow and attempted to dry her tears.

"Darling, what on Earth happened to you other wing?" asked Rarity in an almost frightened state.

"They had to remove it so it wouldn't remind me of my other. But, to be honest, having neither hurts more."

Rainbow looked at Twilight and saw her wings. She envied her. In fact, she almost hated her.

_Why does she get wings? She doesn't even know how to use them!_ she thought.

"Listen, Rainbow. We want the best for you and we realize that it'll be hart for you to get back to Cloudsdale, sow we thought it'd be best if you lived at Applejack's." proclaimed Twilight.

"Why Applejack? Why not anypony else?"

"There's no room in Sugarcube Corner," explained Pinkie "Fluttershy's cottage is housing too many pets, Rarity's has too much clutter, Twilight also doesn't have enough room. Applejack has a big barn, so we thought it best to send you there."

Rainbow could tell Pinkie was upset. She usually used more than just "big" to describe the size of something.

"Thanks guys. The doctor says I can leave in a month, so I'll be out by then."

"Oh, I promise to visit you every day, you know, if you don't mind." whimpered Fluttershy.

"Of course you can, Fluttershy!" said Rainbow with her first real smile of the day. "Oh, by the way, could you take care of Tank for me?"

"Are you kidding? I'm way ahead of you; he's already at my cottage! I had to remove his propeller though; he was dangerous with it!"

"Thanks Flutterhsy!"

Just then, the doctor came in with an unfathomable, yet friendly expression.

"It's time for Ms. Dash to get some rest. She needs to be alone. You all can visit another time, but I'm afraid you can't be here now."

"Why of course, doctor. You get your rest darling. We'll be back tomorrow!" said Rarity as everypony left with their goodbyes.

Though things were looking kind of gloom, Rainbow's friends gave her a reason to smile. And with that, she drifted off to sleep.


End file.
